Latest News
Friends prepare for DSEI 2023
As Friends began gathering to discuss their campaigns against the Defence Security Equipment and International (DSEI) arms fair in autumn, the group Quaker Roots has highlighted news that British arms companies are reportedly planning to sell weapons in Ukraine. According to the Telegraph, chief executives are said to be meeting...
Royal Opera House ends BP sponsorship
Friends welcomed the news that, after thirty-three years, the Royal Opera House (ROH) has ended its sponsorship by the oil and gas giant BP. Campaigners hailed it as a ‘seismic shift’ after a ROH representative admitted that it is ‘no longer in receipt of BP money’ in answer to an...
Quaker-raised Bonnie Raitt wins thirteenth Grammy
The Quaker-raised musician Bonnie Raitt won this year’s Grammy Award for the Song Of The Year, along with another two for Best Americana Performance and Best American Roots Song. These brought her total Grammy haul to 13.
Lords throws out Public Order Bill proposals
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has said that it continues to be ‘seriously concerned’ about government attempts to ‘stifle voices of dissent’ and ‘undermine democracy’. The warnings came last week despite news that the House of Lords had thrown out key elements of the Public Order Bill aimed at stifling protest.
Harrow Friends fund generators in Ukraine
Harrow Quakers have funded two generators in Ukraine using a Friend’s substantial legacy. The idea came during a Christmas lunch when one Friend suggested the Meeting did something for the people of Ukraine, and another remembered reading that generators are badly needed in the country.
Friends highlight green-washing ‘carbon offsets’
Quakers have highlighted a recent study showing that the ‘carbon offsets’ approved by the world’s biggest certification provider are largely worthless. The investigation into rainforest carbon offset credits approved by Verra found that more than ninety per cent of the credits offered did not represent real carbon reductions.
Quaker housing charity talks to Edinburgh Quakers
Quaker Housing Trust (QHT) has said that a fall in donations is limiting their ability to meet the demand for their funding support.
Bayard Rustin film due this year
A film about the US Quaker and civil rights leader Bayard Rustin will be released later this year. The actor Colman Domingo (pictured) will star in Netflix’s Rustin biopic, along with Chris Rock, Glynn Turman and Audra McDonald.
Historic Farfield Meeting House faces ‘uncertain future’
A Yorkshire Friend has highlighted the ‘uncertain future’ facing the historic Farfield Meeting House and other old Quaker buildings.
Asylum-seeking children ‘frightened’ by age tests
Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network (QARN) has highlighted a new report suggesting that unreliable age tests on asylum seekers may leave children ‘frightened and unsafe’.